Unlocking Agility in Your Leadership Style

Unlocking Agility in Your Leadership Style

Across top global companies, successful business leaders will always tell you the same thing- you’re only ever as good as your team. But this inalienable and universal reality often stands to be less of a boon, and more of a bane. Who hasn’t been frustrated by an employee dragging their feet on a big deadline or failing to meet targets, despite being given all the tools to easily achieve them? Problematically, managers increasingly believe that developing an energised team which loves coming to work and can remain steadfastly dedicated is nothing further than fantasy. The legacy of Covid-19 haunts team leads who have to navigate high-attrition, rising mental health concerns, frequent communication breakdowns and maintaining engagement remotely, all while trying to achieve company goals with utmost efficiency.

With new technologies needing adaptation and growing environmental threats hampering employee wellness, several leaders have witnessed their high-performing teams rapidly deteriorate to barely functioning ones. However, Dale Carnegie has the best antidote: agility. In the contemporary corporate landscape, successful leaders have proven to be those delivering results by acting on relevant information, taking quick decisions and executing efficiently- no matter what the business demands.

Using the essential guidebook for modern managers, here are techniques from Dale Carnegie’s ‘Lead!’ ?You can practice to ensure your team masters agility, accomplishes more in less time and feels connected to their output

Customer-first compass

Today, every activity requires dynamism as there is scope to optimize plans based on new data and the need to evolve with crises constantly thrown our way. This can cause dissonance in goal alignment as it is difficult for employees to ascertain what the core purpose behind their multiple and varied tasks really is. Establishing a customer-first compass helps your team recognize the ultimate objective of their actions: meeting customer needs more effectively and efficiently. With an overarching goal clear to all, team members are given a lighthouse which helps them navigate murky waters as every activity can now be purpose-driven. Having a customer-first compass is a great way to keep employees engaged, encourage value co-creation and recognize team members that shine during contingency.

Tug-of-war tool

It can feel like despite all the best practices in operation, you’re not getting the best out of your team. Disengagement is often implicit and can be easily cloaked under different behaviours, making it extremely difficult for leaders to recognize which members are truly under-performing. The best way to identify productivity gaps in your team is to envision playing tug-of-war. On one side, you’re the captain with your group members being your team. On the other side is your competitor, who is hungry and ambitious with a strong group of skilled people. When you visualise the tug-of-war taking place, take note of the team members you see in front putting in blood, sweat and tears; and which ones you see leaning back, applying their weight to the rope or idling around. This method helps you visualise which employees might not be pulling their weight, giving you the opportunity to address issues with the right members.

?Calculated patience

Leadership is not about managing, but mentoring. Getting a group of people?to become the best version of themselves requires an immense amount of effort from both you and your team members. With changing mind-sets, redefining ingrained habits and nurturing varied competencies essential for sustainable team performance, it becomes critical to have realistic expectations. High-impact teams cannot be built overnight with standalone interventions, instead being a continuous process that requires active learning. As waiting for personal breakthroughs can be frustrating and exhausting, give yourself the space to harness individual capabilities in the best possible way. This does not mean endlessly allowing employees to operate at their own pace. While massive turnarounds take time, incremental progress can be monitored with healthy goal-setting. For example, if you want a team member to be more assertive at work, don’t throw them into the deep end by asking them to lead contract negotiations. This can lead to errors on their part and disappointment for you. Alternatively, identify a low-risk opportunity where the member can exercise growth, gain confidence to work on bigger projects and receive constructive feedback. Not only does this support open communication, you can authentically connect with your team and assure time-bound development.

Today, leadership goes far beyond allocating the right people with the right skills to different job roles. While it is impossible to control how others will behave, being an effective leader is about exercising the power that comes with responsibility to influence optimal productivity and performance. ?By consistently practicing these methods, you can unlock the potential within your team through trust and positive attitudes. Simultaneously, you embed agility into the organisational culture as employees are cultivated towards continuous learning. Ultimately, it is most important to harness a people-centric approach to your management style as a real leader is one that develops leadership in others.

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